Poltava

Poltava is well known in Ukraine, and after the games of the Vorskla football club in European Cups 2011 it became known outside the country as well. On June 27, 1709 the decisive victory of Peter I of Russia over the Swedish forces took place near Poltava. It's widely believed that the battle initiated the beginning of Sweden's decline as Great Power and the Russians took their place as the leading nation in Northern Europe. There's a museum of this battle in Poltava, but it was not interesting to us.

You'll like the city if you prefer a quiet, relaxing holiday and walking along the nice streets. Several places in Poltava are a must-see. First, the building of local lore museum built by architect Vasyl Krychevsky, remotely resembling unusual works of the Austrian architect Hundertwasser.

We also liked the local monastery. There's a nice view on it from the Ivanova Hill. We decided to go to the monastery and went through the real village that begins just 200 meters from the main street of the city.

Getting there: By Kharkiv express train (Intercity) from Kyiv (3 hours). Also in Kyiv you can book seats in comfortable buses of the Autolux carrier. The buses leave from the central bus station (Demiyivska metro station).